GNM_05-26-2021

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MEMORIAL DAY Monday, May 31, 2021

REMEMBER AND HONOR ink

GPC

®

©2021. All Rights Reserved. Gallatin Publishing Company

Benefit planned for Jones Jason Jones, 72, was assaulted and nearly killed by a young couple on May 4 after he had tried to help them with a flat tire. After he stopped on I-35 near Holt to assist them, they attacked him and put him in the

Jesse James Days will ride again! The Winston Historical Society is preparing for the 2021 edition of Jesse James Days, to be held July 16-17 at the Winston City Park. Back again after skipping the COVID year of 2020, the event will feature the usual music, food, parade, baby show and more. Watch Jesse James Days on Facebook to get updated information as planning unfolds.

hospital with serious injuries. Jason and his wife Linda live south of Altamont. A benefit is planned for Jones in the Clinton Youth Building, 251 E. 116 Highway, Plattsburg, MO on Saturday, June 5. Dinner will be 5-7 p.m. followed by music and dancing from 7-10 p.m. with music by Midnight Country. Dinner is $5 per person. There will be a silent auction and free will donations will be taken at the door. All proceeds will go to the Jones family. If you have items you would like to donate to the Silent Auction or have questions, please call 816804-7409.

New visitors’ guide One of the last printings completed at Gallatin Publishing Company is a 32-page tourism edition spotlighting Daviess County history. Free copies are available at the 1889 Squirrel Cage Jail in Gallatin, at the Daviess County Courthouse, and also at the county library and at city hall. Photographs and information is organized into these five categories: About the Squirrel Cage Jail, Civil War, Outlaws Frank & Jesse James, Frontier Development, and People & Other Things You Should Know. A digital edition may also be viewed on: DaviessCountyHistoricalSociety.com The free edition is researched and produced by Darryl Wilkinson.

Caven pens new book: ‘Behind the Lights’ Local author Paul Caven of rural Jameson has a new book available. “Tales from Behind the Lights: A glimpse at 40 years behind the scenes during the ‘Second Age of Movies’” is available in paperback or Kindle on Amazon. For about 40 years, Paul worked as a lighting technician in film and television, doing everything from hauling cable and operating a dimmer board to hiring and firing crew members. He’s been part of memorable movies that won academy awards, like “As Good As It Gets, and a few klunkers he’d just as soon forget, “I don’t write them, I just light them,” he says with

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-- Notice of termination --

Due to owners’ retirement, the last day of business for Gallatin Publishing Company is Friday, May 28. The printing plant will close. The following summarizes GPC print /online products going forward: ● Gallatin North Missourian -- ends with today’s edition May 26, 2021. Subscription refunds will be mailed during June. ● Ad Zone -- last edition dated May 25, 2021. ● Lake Viking News -- letter of intent to purchase both print and online signed by the Lake Viking Association; all inquiries should now be directed to the lake office, 660.332.9001 ● ShoMeMoreRealEstate.com -- purchased and continued by Jill Steward of JPEG Studio. For online webpage/video and social media promotion, call Jill’s cell phone: 573.289.3807 ● ShoMeMoreAuctions.com -- auction webpages and .com websites continue uninterrupted. Call 660.663.2154 for details. GPC owners Darryl and Liz Wilkinson will continue working at the newspaper office in the weeks to come to disperse inventory and eventually vacate the premises. Contact them by calling 660.663.2154 or by email at the following addresses: darryl@GPCink.com, liz@ GPCink.com, ads@GPCink.com, auctions@GPCink.com or realestate@shomemore.com To GPC customers: As a reminder, payments are due by June 10, 2021. We appreciate your cooperation in submitting prompt payments so that we may continue the process of closing business. Past due unpaid accounts will be sent to collections at the discretion of owners. We appreciate the business and support you have given Gallatin Publishing Company. Thank you!

Farewell video online! Visit www.NorthMissourian.com to see our “Farewell Video”

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May 26, 2021 UPSP 213-200 Vol. 157, No. 1

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Sad news from city hall:

City utility rates must increase

Here’s a very long explanation of the sad plight of the Gallatin Electric Department. This explanation, thoughtfully and carefully prepared by Gallatin City Administrator Lance Rains, can be found in its entirety on the Gallatin Police Facebook page. The hard reality is that city utility rates must increase because the current rate is not supplying enough revenue to cover Electric Department expenses. The City of Gallatin is a member of the Missouri Public Utility Alliance, which is the organization that Gallatin purchases energy through, as well as the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission, to supply to the end customer in Gallatin. Gallatin purchases all of the power for its customers through a contractual agreement with MPUA/MJMEUC that was signed in 1981. Although Gallatin does have four diesel-fired electric generators, it would be impractical and way more expensive to use these generators than to simply purchase power from MPUA/MJMEUC for $100,000 to $150,000 per month. If Gallatin were using the generators, the mere cost of the diesel (at $2.50 per gallon) would be over $2 million per month just in fuel costs. These generators haven’t been used to provide power in the past two decades, and the city has been trying without success to sell the engines to other countries for power generation.

Winter storm delivers a $179,000 ‘gut punch’

In February 2021, the polar vortex that engulfed the Midwest increased Gallatin’s electric bill from a normal monthly billing of around $150,000 up to $327.665.58 … a totally unexpected increase of $179,717.81. During the polar vortex, power generation became endangered because the infrastructure to produce energy failed. Electric plants had no fuel to make energy, windmills froze in place and solar panels were covered with snow and couldn’t produce any power. During that time, the City of Gallatin asked the public to conserve energy and the community listened. Gallatin did not have any rolling blackouts and the power grid continued to provide power to our customers. Then Gallatin got the invoice from MPUA/MJMEUC. While there is a federal and state investigation for price gouging against the natural gas and coal companies the city still has that debt responsibility to MPUA/MJMEUC. The total extra debt just for February 2021 is $179,717.81. That amount will have to be paid back to MPUA/MJMEUC in some manner. The council is looking at different options on that payback. It might not look like it but Gallatin was one of the lucky cities. Rains heard in a few meetings where communities went from a normal invoice of $500,000 to an invoice of $3,500,000.

Electric Department pays power for all other departments

The city council hired a third party electric engineering firm, Toth and Associates, to analyze the power usage of Gallatin. Using this report and in researching the rate adjustment, Administrator Rains found that the Electric Department has been paying for the power usage of the entire municipality, amounting to around $55,000 per year. The city is now making arrangements for each department (water, sewer, general, park and pool) to pay for its own energy usage in the future

Upgrade to save: Spending money will save money

Another electric engineering firm has been working on a report which will direct Gallatin on how to upgrade an 8-10 block area from a 2400 kV electric system to a 13.2 kV system. This is an upgrade that was originally started in the 1980s, but due to a problem with the contractors, the upgrade was never completed. The conversion is very important because the 2400 kV system provides less electric current. Higher current means lower voltage drop, fewer losses, and more power-carrying capability. The 2400 kV system is known as the “wild ground” system and is problematic for electricians if they aren’t used to such a system. The current loss of electricity for the entire system is 12.8% annually. This is energy purchased from MPUA/MJMEUC that is not accounted for by metering. The budget for Gallatin’s wholesale energy purchases in 2021 is $1,360,000. A 12.8% loss of that cost is $174,080. The 2400 conversion should reduce that 12.8% by a minimum of 3-4 percentage points to an acceptable loss amount. Gallatin is planning to use its own staff to perform most of the work, which will include seven new transformers, some new wire strung, grounding, some pole replacement, and other associated work. Finley Engineering is working on a strategy for the upgrade as well as a cost estimate. Rains is trying to fit this project into the American Recovery Plan (ARP) or what is commonly known as Round 2 of the COVID-19 Funds. The funding states that the grant funding must be used on infrastructure, defined as water, sewer, and broadband. Electricity isn’t part of the definition at this time but without electricity none of those utilities would operate. The city expects $322,177 from the ARP funding and it will be distributed by the state.

AMI System will lower operational cost

Gallatin is also working on the installation of an Advanced Metering Infrastructure System (AMI). This system will allow each meter to communicate with city hall in real time. That communication will include current time meter reading, leak alerts, heat alerts, more accurate readings, online ability to check usage by customer, and an easier way to pay online. That project has a price tag of approximately $370,000. Once installed, AMI means that city staff will not have to spend 10 days manually reading meters each month. The AMI should also reduce some of the 12.8% unmetered energy loss by finding and correcting some of the wiring issues of the past. The cost for the system will be split three ways since water meters will also be included. By decreasing exposure between customers and city staff, the AMI will also help avoid a situation where COVID might keep the city from addressing utility problems. Rains has been working with SEMA/FEMA and the Community Development Block Grant Staff on COVID-19 grant funding options for the AMI.

Summary of efforts to keep electric bills as low as possible

So, what is Gallatin doing to keep the electric rates as low as possible? Below is a summary of the actions the city is taking to keep the electric rate adjustments as low as possible: 1. Changing the current billing policy in which all departments will pay for their electric use 2. Installing the AMI system for better meter collection and loss reduction 3. Working on the 2400 system to reduce electrical loss 4. Hiring professional electric engineering firms to utilize their expertise on projects 5. Utilizing as much possible grant funding to reduce the cash amount of the upgrades

New rate comparisons: Please turn to page 5 to read electric rate charts prepared by the engineering firm of Toth & Associates for the City of Gallatin

A Special 20-page Graduation Souvenir Edition Inside: Congratulations to the Class of 2021!


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